Interview conducted by Danielle Ellis, B.Sc.Jan 11 2023 Thought LeadersRyan JacksonAssistant Professor Utah State University In this interview, News Medical speaks to Assistant Professor Ryan Jackson about his latest work, published in tandem Nature papers, detailing the discovery of a new CRISPR immune system.
The potential medical significance of CRISPR-based tools is vast, including tools for research to identify the roles of genes in disease and tools for the fast diagnosis of disease. Probably the most amazing potential is the ability to edit the DNA of cells that make humans sick – potentially curing genetic diseases. A recent example of this is Victoria Gray and the use of CRISPR to cure her sickle cell anemia.
How is Cas12a2 able to thwart infection, and what are the potential applications of such an ability? Cas12a2 recognizes virus RNA and then kills or shuts down the infected cell before more viruses can be made. Although much more needs to be done, we can envision repurposing Cas12a2 to recognize infected human cells and then causing them to die before they can make new viruses. Effectively stopping an infection in its tracks.
How significant are your findings to the current understanding of CRISPR systems and their potential applications? Our results are significant because no other CRISPR-associated protein binds RNA and then becomes a single- and double-stranded DNA and RNA cutter that cuts any sequence.